FEELING THE CINCH
The Old Firm dread has been replaced with confidence, belief, expectation ... game was a breeze and power swing to Gers is complete
THERE have been many moments over the last nine years where I have been through absolute torture.
Rangers fans across the globe have similarly suffered.
That feeling in the pit of your stomach when nothing goes to plan, added to heartache, but no longer.
A new sensation has replaced that feeling of dread going into the biggest games, the Old Firm collisions and the games that matter that bit more. It’s one of confidence, expectation and a sense you’re about to be served up a performance which can be enjoyed without the usual disappointments.
That feeling of confidence was overwhelming yesterday. I enjoyed the game, the win and especially the first 45 minutes.
There will be those who say the game hinged on Celtic being reduced to 10 men when Callum McGregor was sent off but I don’t buy that for one minute.
Up to that point it had been a really good, open and entertaining game of football.
Rangers were in the ascendancy when Kemar Roofe scored the opener but even though Odsonne Edouard equalised, once Alfredo Morelos made it 2-1, it was always going to be a case of how many.
I thought Rangers were in real control of the game. Celtic had one or two near things in the second half, David Turnbull and Mo Elyounoussi went close with headers but the result was never really in danger.
The pace of the game and the tempo was all being controlled by players in Light Blue jerseys and they ran out more than worthy winners.
It’s good to go into these games confidently, not over-confident, and Steven Gerrard has eradicated the self-doubt which had existed when he arrived.
Rangers aren’t good enough to just turn up and expect to win.
Football has a habit of smacking teams in the face if you do that and this side works so hard for what it is now getting.
You can now see there is a ring of confidence over this set of players.
The power shift is complete. Rangers have had more than a monopoly over Celtic this season, they’ve managed to change the mindset within their own club and you can see the dominance.
You can see it clearly in the control Rangers now have over these games, the authority they have all over the pitch and having game-changers in the side who make all the difference.
There were some questions to be answered by the players going into yesterday’s game and they did so emphatically. It was all about getting a reaction from the team after the disappointment of losing the penalty shoot-out to St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup.
I mentioned in my weekend Record Sport column that Rangers needed the perfect reaction against Celtic but I couldn’t have imagined just how perfect it would be.
There have been a couple of occasions when a reaction has been
Some will say the game hinged on Celtic going down to 10 men early on. I don’t buy that at all
required to disappointing results this season and that’s exactly what this Rangers side have delivered.
It was an emphatic display and a justified scoreline but it’s no more or less than I expected from this team.
First and foremost it was a commanding display.
There have been times this season in Old Firm games where Celtic have had a case for being the better side, not this time. I don’t think you’d find many people prepared to say that Rangers didn’t deserve it.
It was all about the attacking intent and a sense of purpose with Ryan Kent leading the charge and I thought he was virtually unplayable.
He just looked sharp and positive. When he’s in that frame of mind then he’s an absolute delight to watch. As a fan of good footballers, I enjoyed sitting back and watching him.
As a game it was a good spectacle but the star turn who provided that little bit extra was Kent.
His performance showed why he can be such an entertainer and he was dynamite against Celtic. I watched the game with a confidence from the first minute that Rangers would win. It’s no longer about having fingers crossed.
There have been so many times where I’ve struggled to pick myself up after Old Firm games over the years with result after result which haven’t made for great reading.
It’s all changed. The fans now believe in this team. The team believes in their manager and it’s gone full circle from the bad old days when games came with no confidence that there would be a positive outcome.